Innocence is a Matter of Circumstance
by GundamGurl17
Summary: What happened to Sirius the night the Potters died? What did he do? What thoughts went through his mind? In his last hours of freedom, Sirius finds Harry, talks with Hagrid, and confronts Peter. Changed rating due to swearing in Part 2 just to be safe
1. Part 1: The End of My World

A/N: Hi again! It's been awhile since I've written anything new, hasn't it? Sorry 'bout that, but with school and all, it gets hard to find time for stuff like this. Anyway, this is about Sirius and what happened to him the night the Potters died, and when he subsequently went out to confront Peter. It will be told in two parts, and it's rated K+ because the word "bastard" shows up a few times. I've had this idea in my head for awhile, but I am just now getting it written down. As always, it's really encouraging to read all of your reviews, so please continue to R&R! Thanks!

_Thoughts are in italics._  
**Emphasized words are in bold.**_  
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**Part 1: The End of My World**

Sirius was on his bike, enjoying the night air. It was quite late, though the exact time, he did not know. Suddenly, the sound of an explosion ripped through the quiet of the night. Angling his bike toward the source of the sound, Sirius saw something. It was a green skull, with a snake protruding from its mouth, rising into the sky. A deep feeling of dread formed in the pit of Sirius' stomach as he recognized the location of the Dark Mark.

_Godric's Hollow… Oh no! Oh God, no!_

Kicking his bike into its highest gear, Sirius sped toward the mark, a million thoughts flying at lightning speed through his head. Were the Potters ok? Was Voldemort still there? How had Voldemort found out? Even as he thought this, Sirius knoew the answer, though he didn't want to admit it to himself. It just couldn't be true… but it was. _It was Peter… the whole time, Peter was the spy! Why didn't I see it?! I'm sorry I ever suspected you, Remus. I should have known. _Then another realization hit him. _That bastard! Everyone thinks **I'm **the Secret Keeper! I'm as good as dead! They'll put me in Azkaban — or worse! Unless the Potters are alive…_but he knew that wasn't true. Voldemort was powerful and ruthless; James wouldn't have been able to fight him alone. _I should have been there!_ Thoughts of self-blame ran through Sirius' head as he landed in front of the wreckage of the Potter's house.

There was almost nothing left: the walls lay in splinters, and parts were still burning. Sirius jumped off his bike, not caring that it landed in a heap, and ran to the house. "James! Lily! Harry! Can you hear me?!" he shouted. He began to search the smoking debris, screaming "James! Answer me! James! Ja—" Sirius choked off in mid-scream as he saw a hand sticking up between two boards. Shoving them aside, Sirius came face to face with James.

He was dead.

Sirius felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest. Even though Sirius had been prepared for this, his eyes stung with tears that refused to fall.

Then something moved. Sirius' head snapped upward, his ears cocked toward the sound. Slowly, dream-like, he got up and walked to the area that had once been the nursery. The first thing he encountered was Lily's body, her pale face frozen in silent pleading. Again tears threatened to spill from Sirius' eyes. That something moved again. There in the far corner of the room, next to an overturned crib, was Harry.

He was alive!

Carefully stepping over Lily, Sirius picked up the baby. It shouldn't be possible, yet here he was. Harry's big green eyes looked back at his godfather's small grey ones. Sirius pushed back Harry's unruly bangs and gasped when he saw the scar. "My God," he breathed. He ran his finger along the lightning shape, and Harry gave a little cry of protest. Then Sirius' tears did come. Holding Harry close to his chest, he let himself cry, both from grief and joy. Small drops of water fell onto Harry's head.

Although it seemed like an eternity had passed since Sirius first saw the Dark Mark appear in the sky, only 30 minutes had passed in reality. Sirius heard the footsteps before he saw who they belonged to. Years of being a dog animagus had left their mark. Slowly, quietly, he switched his grip on Harry, so that his right hand was free. Then he reached into his robes for his wand. Sirius was prepared to fight to the death to defend Harry. Then a voice called, "Hello?" Sirius knew that voice."H-Hagrid?" he asked.

"Sirius Black, is tha' you?"

"Yeah." It occurred to Sirius that Hagrid might know about Sirius supposedly being the Potter's Secret Keeper. Still, he decided to act on the assumption that Hagrid didn't know, or hadn't been told yet.

"Did yeh see 'im? You-know-who?"

"No. I was on my bike when I saw the Dark Mark. I got here as fast as I could, but I… it was too late." Sirius had stopped crying when he heard Hagrid's footsteps, and he didn't even realize he had started again.

"'S a terrible thing, tha' they had to die like tha'." Then Hagrid saw Harry. "Yeh got Harry! 'S he okay?" Sirius nodded. "Dumbledor sent me to get 'im.

"No!" Sirius said, surprised at his own sudden possessiveness of the youth. "I mean, let me take him. I'm his godfather."

"Sorry, Sirius, bu' I got orders from Dumbledor. I gotta take 'im. Sorry."

Sirius nodded in understanding. There was no way Dumbledor would leave Harry in the hands of a supposed traitor. Of course, it was obvious Hagrid didn't know this. "It's alright. I understand." He stepped carefully over the wreckage. He was still crying when he handed Harry to Hagrid. Hagrid took the baby in one of his large arms, and wrapped the other around Sirius. "There now. It'll be all righ'. I think they always knew, they were always prepared fer… fer this." He sniffed. "It's not yer fault, yeh know."

Sirius pulled away from Hagrid. "Hagrid, I…" he started, then changed his mind. "Hey, um, you know what?" he said, his voice choked, "Take— take my bike. It'll be faster."

"Yer bike?" Hagrid asked, genuinely surprised. The bike was Sirius' favorite possession, given to him by James, Peter, and Remus after they graduated. "Where can I meet yeh to give it back?"

"Just take it. I won't need it anymore."

Hagrid furrowed his brow at the odd statement, but decided that Sriius was just upset. He would return the bike later. Sirius smiled sadly, and lightly kissed Harry's forehead. "Goodbye, Harry Potter," he said. Then he turned, wiped his eyes on his sleeve, and walked off, not looking back. He knew he was going to Azkaban, and there was something he needed to do before he got there.

He had to find Peter.


	2. Part 2: You're a Traitor I Am Guilty

A/N: Here you are guys, finally, Part 2! Yes, I changed the rating, due to swearing. It probably wasn't necessary, but it's better to be safe, right? And now...(dramatic pause) Sirius' confrontation with Peter! Dun dun dun! Ok, I was actually going to wait for a review on Part 1 before I uploaded Part 2, but...obviously you guys don't know how to push the little button on the bottom of your screen. But, here's your chance to redeem yourselves! Just read Part 2, and then click the button at the bottom of the screen that says 'Submit Review', and send me a nice little review! I will then get permission from my friend to reward you with brownie points. The amount will differ depending on the length and niceness of the review. If you don't send me a review, I will get permission from my friend to TAKE AWAY your brownie points! Worried? You should be! So, just send me a review, and you won't have to worry about losing brownie points, ok? Thanks, as always! (Yeah, I know this was a long author's note. That's to make up for the fact that Part 2 is shorter than Part 1.) Your humble authoress, GG17

Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do not own Harry Potter, or any of the Marauders. If I did, do you really think I would be sitting here writing fanfictions about them? Do you?!?!**  
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**Part 2: You're a traitor; I am Guilty**

Sirius spotted Peter in the corner of an alleyway, between two industrial buildings. Peter hadn't seen him yet; Sirius decided to play towards the element of surprise, turning into his dog form and waiting in the shadows for Peter to walk past him. His wand was underneath his right paw, ready to be picked up when he turned back into a human. Peter had been lurking in this alley since he had given up the Potters. The Dark Lord was pleased with him for the moment, but all the same, Peter was not eager to report back.

Suddenly, something moved in the shadows. Upon closer inspection, Peter realized it was a dog. He took it to be a stray, and was about to turn away, to never give it a second thought, when a spark of memory flickered in the back of his mind. He knew that dog… "Sirius," he said, laughing nervously. "W-what brings you here?

"You know perfectly well why I'm here," Sirius said, returning to human form and pointing his wand at Peter.

"N-now now, S-Sirius, th-there's no need to be irrational…"

"Irrational? You think I'm being **irrational**?!"Sirius roared. "I know what you did, and I know that I'm going to be blamed for it! But God help me, I'll sleep easy in Azkaban knowing that you're not around to betray anyone else!" and he raised his wand threateningly.

By now Sirius' yelling had attracted a number of curious passersby. Sirius had his back to them, and as a result, didn't see them, but Peter noticed them, and in a rare demonstration of intelligence shouted, "The Potters, Sirius, how could you?"

Sirius was taken aback. "What rubbish are you spouting now, Peter?"

"You know perfectly well, Sirius! You betrayed them! James was your best mate, how could you?"

A woman screamed. Sirius turned, and in an instant, understood what Peter was doing. "You sick bastard!" he screamed, and charged at Peter, wand up.

A flicker of panic crossed Peter's face, but then he smirked, and clasped his hands behind his back. Sirius stopped short. What was that bastard doing now? Then Peter raised his bloodied hand, and, seeing a gas tank to his right, shouted a spell. Sirius regained his wits just in time to shield himself from the blast.

When the dust had settled, Sirius saw at least ten bodies, possibly more, of people killed by the explosion. Glancing down, he saw something thin and pinkish. He bent over and examined it, and saw that it was Peter's finger. _So that's why his hand was bleeding! Damn bastard!_

Without a glance behind him, Sirius sprinted out of the alley. He would be caught and taken to Azkaban, he knew that for sure. But he would run. He wasn't about to make it easy for the authorities to catch an innocent but condemned man. Where he would go, he wasn't sure. Maybe he would try to find Remus, to tell him the truth. Maybe he would go to Dumbledor. Maybe he would leave the country. But he would run.

Because once he was in Azkaban, he knew, he would never run again.


End file.
